Partial Circumference Variable Length Clothing Retention Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A clothing retention apparatus comprised of a piece of stretchable material ( 5 ) with one or more two part latching fasteners fixed to the extremities of the base material, which folds upon itself to form a closed loop. The ends of the base material of the apparatus are terminated by a hem ( 6 ) or stitch in such a way as to prevent the material from becoming unraveled.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to clothing belts, specifically to those worn by small children.

2. Prior Art

Children's clothing, specifically long pants or shorts, are available for purchase in various sizes and shapes but do not fit all children the same. Given the limited selection and the durability of modern fabrics, most parents purchase clothing slightly larger than the child's actual size with the intention maximizing the time the clothing fits.

School age kids and adults can use a standard belt or suspenders to adjust the waist size of the clothing to more appropriately fit the individual. A standard belt works well in this case because most clothing is manufactured with belt loops.

Although clothing designed to fit toddlers (children ages two to five) do have these belt loops, most parents or guardians choose not to use a standard belt for a number of reasons.

-   -   a) The natural curiosity of children leads them to remove the         belt periodically.     -   b) The ability to remove the clothing to change the child's         diaper is hindered.     -   c) A belt requires periodic adjustments depending on the type of         activity the toddler is engaged in.     -   d) Most traditional belts are made from materials that are not         typically machine washable, such as leather, and therefore are         impractical for use with a toddler.     -   e) An inflexible belt impedes potty-training.     -   f) A belt could be a strangulation hazard if the child is left         unsupervised.     -   g) Given the incremental fixed lengths that a belt can be         adjusted to, the proper size is not always available.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION—OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:

-   -   a) To provide a flexible design that allows the removal of the         child's clothing for the purposes of changing a soiled diaper         without requiring the removal of the apparatus.     -   b) To provide a clothing retention apparatus that stretches and         constricts to accommodate both active and sedentary activities         without adjustment.     -   c) To provide a clothing retention apparatus constructed of         material that is more likely, but not necessarily, machine         washable     -   d) To provide a clothing retention apparatus that facilitates         potty-training

Further objects and advantages are to provide an apparatus which can be conveniently removed and replaced to match aesthetically with other clothing, which can be left unattended without fear of introducing a strangulation hazard, which is small enough to carry in your pocket, and which advances the date on which an article of clothing can be comfortable worn thereby extending the functional lifespan of the article and providing a greater return on the investment. Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from the consideration of the ensuring description and drawings.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, a clothing retention apparatus comprises a piece of stretchable material with one or more quick release fasteners fixed to the ends.

DRAWINGS—FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows various aspects of a four snap clothing retention apparatus in a completed form. This particular view is referred to as the bottom, which is identified as the face from which the snap mating stud protrudes.

FIG. 2 shows a similar apparatus from the opposite side of the base material. This view is referred to as the top of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 shows an isometric exploded diagram of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 shows the apparatus with both ends folded to mate with the first and fourth sockets

FIG. 5 shows the apparatus with both ends folded to mate with the second and fourth sockets

DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

1 Snap Caps

2 Snap socket rings

3 Snap sockets

4 Snap mating stud

5 ¾ inch woven elastic

6 Folded material hem

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—FIGS. 1 AND 2—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 (bottom view) and FIG. 2 (top view). The apparatus has a base material 5 which can be hemmed or stitched in such a way as to prevent the material from becoming unraveled. In the preferred embodiment, the base material is ¾ to 1 inch wide machine washable woven elastic. On each end of the base material a snap cap 1 and a snap mating stud 4 are fastened according to their respective manufacturers recommended procedure. Between the snap mating studs 4 are four snap sockets 3 and corresponding snap socket rings 2, again fastened according to their manufacturers recommended procedure.

In other embodiments there may be more or fewer available snap sockets 3 on which to mate the snap mating studs 4.

OPERATION—FIGS. 4 and 5

To attach the apparatus to an article of clothing with appropriate belt loops, the user first slides one end of the apparatus through a single belt loop so that the snap mating stud 4 protrudes beyond the far side of the loop. Then, fold the end of the apparatus toward the underside mating the stud 4 with one of the available sockets 3 leaving at least one socket 3 available for the opposite end. Next, one would thread the apparatus through the available next belt loop and fold the remaining end to mate the snap stud 4 with an available snap socket 3.

To remove the apparatus, one would grip one end of the base material and apply sufficient force to disengage the snap stud 4 from the snap socket 3 and then repeat the process for the opposite end. Depending on the orientation of the apparatus in use it may be necessary to lift the base material away from the clothing in order to grip the bitter end with sufficient force as to disengage the snap stud 4 from the snap socket 3. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the apparatus may be configured to and appropriate length for the article of clothing.

Advantages

From the description above, a number of advantages of my adjustable length clothing retention apparatus become evident:

-   -   a. One apparatus can be used for multiple articles of clothing         with different belt loop spacing.     -   b. The base material would provide an excellent surface for         labeling by hand or by machine.

Accordingly, the reader will see that the adjustable length clothing retention apparatus can be worn by children of all sizes and shapes, can reduce frustration by not requiring the removal of the apparatus in order to remove the article of clothing, and can extend the usable length of time an article of clothing may be worn. 

1. An apparatus for adjusting the effective size of an article of clothing comprising: (a) an elongated piece of elastic material of a predetermined and sufficient length to encapsulate two or more retention loops on said clothing, (b) one snap mating stud on each end of said material, and (c) two or more snap sockets located between said studs, (d) whereby the effective size of said clothing becomes smaller than without.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus material is hemmed or finished to support said material from unraveling.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said snap mating studs and corresponding sockets are replaced with alternate form of a common two part latching system. 